The Zero Episode! This time Rob and Shag talk about Aquaman #0 (by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, and Rod Reis) and The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #0 (by the outgoing creative team of Joe Harris, Yildiray Cinar, Marlo Alquiza, and Hi-Fi)! Fantastic stand-alone issues that will please new and long-time readers! Finally, the podcast wraps up with your listener feedback!

As always, thanks to my co-host Rob Kelly, Sea King of THE AQUAMAN SHRINE, for doing all the post-production on these episodes! Intro theme, “That Time is Now,” by Michael Kohler. Special thanks to Daniel Adams and his band The Bad Mamma Jammas for our fantastic original closing theme!

10 Comments

I have not read Aquaman #0 yet, but I did pick up Firestorm #0 this past Friday and I thought it was very well done. A nice sign off to the Protocols storyline and sowing the seeds for the once-again merged Firestorm. Looking forward to the episode!

Great podcast as usual. I thought Shag’s interpretation of how Helix came to be was interesting, and something I hadn’t considered, as it was the only “what’s going on” moment as I read the book initially. I have actually liked all of the stories so far, but this was a good way to break from the first 12 issues and start fresh.

One other thing about the podcast — At one point, Rob said something about cancelling the check to the skydiving school for not finishing the job. What they did accomplish, in injuring Shag’s butt, immediately reminded me of a line from books/movies that I’ll paraphrase here —

I’m not sure how I feel about New 52 Ocean Master. It does make a lot more sense for someone named Orm Marius to be the product of an Atlantean union in Posedonis rather than a human union raised on land. Aquaman is more likeable as the mutt, rather than the Aryan attacking an Eskimo with plainly inferior abilities. I will miss the aspect of Orm as a sympathetic half-brother slighted by life, which was consistent in previous incarnations, regardless of the varied circumstances. I’m also on record as hating any time Aquaman is treated as royalty, which is too on the nose for his looks and makes him even more of a Prince Namor rip-off. I do seem to recall Rob saying he didn’t think DC was going to play the brothers angle in a previous podcast.

As a caveat, I must confess that I base my previous Ormpinion off the podcast synopsis, since I did not order and will not read Aquaman #0. I skipped it, as I will be skipping the Ocean Master crossover arc, and will base any return on the new creative team when announced. Names that had better not be in those solicitations include Tomasi, Bedard, Milligan, Krul, or anyone associated with Marvel Comics’ 1990s output (possibly exempting Bob Harris.) I’m not currently ordering any DC Comic on a monthly basis thanks to Zero Month Deux giving me a jumping-off point from the New 52. Hopefully, I can contribute to a dip on the tail end of Johns’ run and a surge following it, when pigs swim. If Ardian Syaf took over Savage Hawkman, it would free Joe Bennett up to help getting Aquaman cancelled, but at least I’d enjoy it.

I don’t mind Shag being a horndog. He calls himself Shag. Proof in advertising.

Geoff Johns has given Ethan Van Sciver a lot of credit for the success of the Green Lantern relaunch, but I never believed in carry over all that Corps business to Firestorm. The de-boot to Brightest Day is welcome and necessary, since all evidence from the past year leads me to believe that EVS failed to grasp Firestorm at a core conceptual level. It was like seeing Batman transform into Man-Bat as the leader of a team of animorphs patrolling Gotham City like Disney’s Gargoyles.

I liked Michael Bailey’s alternate opening. Michael Bailey has a good radio voice, and combining Superman and Aquaman is a natural, especially now that the Sea King doesn’t have to slum with the c-list anymore. Michael Bailey should be the official fill-in guy during absences in the standard Fire & Water Podcast Matrix, like an issue of DC Comics Presents.

Shag does a solid Optimus Prime. Shame Optimus Prime sucks only slightly less than that whole damned stupid property. They’re just junky toy vehicles that turn into awkward toy robots. That’s a limited novelty factor. I like super-heroes, and still look down on you people.

Frank, you’re showing your age with your hate-on for Transformers. “Junky toy vehicles?” Sounds like someone who has never played with a proper Generation 1 toy.

“It was like seeing Batman transform into Man-Bat as the leader of a team of animorphs patrolling Gotham City like Disney’s Gargoyles.”

I’d buy it.

That having been said, the return to the Brightest Day setup is the correct move and really what they should have done from the start. You still could have run the Protocols storyline with that setup and it would have made a smoother move from what was a popular take on the character in the maxi-series.

Firestorm #0
Was Jason’s pinky finger seem like it was melting when he took his hand off the bunsen burner?
And I agree with Shagg, I think Jason was responsible for the reappearance of Helix.
Jason and Ronnie can’t make physical contact with one another, I wonder what would happen if they came into contact with other possible Ex-Firestorm protocol members?

Aquaman #0
If Arthur seeks out his Mother after the death of his father, and then heads to Atlantis after meeting Vulko. Does that mean he joins the Others after his initial time in Atlantis?
The story takes place 6 years earlier, but the dude on the ship states to Arthur that they live in a world of Supermen, Batmen and Wonder Women… Yet the first appearance of the JL and its members is 5 yearsearlier. Am I wrong in assuming that the timeline is not marrying up?

FIRESTORM #0 was my favorite issue of the series since the first one. There were still things–a lot of things–that I didn’t like about it, but overall I was excited by the new status of the merged Firestorm and it gave me plenty to look forward to with issue #13.

I completely agree that Shag’s idea of how Helix came back is very interesting and hadn’t occurred to me! I hope this is what it is because it’s much more interesting than if the real Helix was just reactivated somehow.

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